The Best Chocolate Cake
This is the best, easiest, chocolate cake ever! Hundreds of people have made it and declared it the best-ever for a reason…because it is!
Smothered Pork Chops.
Yellow Cake.
Frosting.
Spare Ribs.
Chocolate Cake.
Cream Cheese Coffee Cake.
Any idea what all of the above items have in common?
Well, just between you and me, they are currently on my list (among several others) of recipes I’m searching to find the PERFECT version of. The Best Of, if you will.
(Update: I’ve actually found best-ever versions of some of those! Smothered Pork Chops and Yellow Cake are off the list!)
There are many things (like Indian food and pasta dishes to name a few) that I’ll probably always try different versions of just for the fun of it, but my “search” list includes recipes I want to know are the best so I can turn to them when the time arises and know they will not fail me.
And wouldn’t you know that this week, I’m able to cross off TWO of them! The magical frosting that still visits my dreams was detailed yesterday and now today I’m letting you in on the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made.
I first made this cake nearly eight months ago for my son’s birthday but wanted to make it several more times to ensure it really is the best. And it is!
Hands down, it beats any other homemade chocolate cake I have ever made. Moist (unbelievably so!), dense with chocolate flavor but with a perfectly light and tender cake crumb, and with the perfect balance of sweet and rich chocolate, this cake was taken to new heights slathered in my new favorite frosting.
So perfect and so decadent and delicious, this is the only chocolate cake I need to worry about from here on out.
Actually, I probably should be worrying more about the effect of this chocolate cake on my thighs. Ignorance is bliss, I say.
One Year Ago: Oatmeal Pancake Mix
Two Years Ago: Chicken Tikka Masala
Unbelievable Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cups (106 g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 ½ cups (355 g) all purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups (530 g) sugar
- 2 ½ teaspoons baking soda
- 1 ¼ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 ¼ teaspoons salt
- 2 large eggs plus 1 large egg yolk
- 1 ¼ cups warm water
- 1 ¼ cups buttermilk
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, making sure the baking rack is in the middle of the oven. Prepare two round 9-inch cake pans by cutting out a piece of parchment or wax paper to line the bottom of the pan. Grease the pans, place the parchment or wax paper in the bottom of the pan and lightly grease again. Dust the pans with flour (or cocoa powder if you don’t want the white dusting on the finished cakes). Set the pans aside.
- Using a fine mesh strainer, sift together the cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a large bowl. Add the eggs, yolk, warm water, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. Mix on low speed (with a handheld mixer or in the bowl of an electric stand mixer) until smooth, about 3 minutes.
- Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Bake the cakes for about 32-35 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Do not overbake! Remove the pans from the oven and set the pans on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes. Gently run a thin knife around the edges of the pans and unmold the cakes, removing the parchment paper liners from the bottom of the cakes. Let them cool completely, top sides ups, on a wire rack.
- Trim the tops of the cake layers with a long serrated knife to make them level. Frost as desired (I highly recommend this life-changing frosting).
Notes
Recommended Products
Recipe Source: adapted slightly from Martha Stewart Living The New Classics
Hello Mel!
Can’t wait to try this cake combo. Do you know if this cake is sturdy enough to cover in fondant? I’ve ready that some people have had success with carving it, so I assume covering in fondant should be ok. Thank you!!
Catherine – I’ve only ever used fondant once or twice so I can’t be 100% sure but I use this cake for all my other decorating and it holds up just fine.
Aubri & Laurie —
The first time I made this, mine fell in the middle too! So I asked a friend who’s a pastry chef, and she said cakes can fall if you’re overmixing them. Which I sometimes tend to do. Since then, I haven’t mixed them as long as I used to and they haven’t fallen since. Hope this helps!
I just made this at high altitude (5000 ft) and the middle did sink some, but not extremely bad. I added 2 or 3 more Tbsp of flour, used room temp eggs, and baked at 325. I don’t know if any of that made a difference because I haven’t made it exactly as written. I cooked it in a glass 9 x 13 for 32 minutes and that seemed perfect. Also, I did use the adjusted amounts that a commenter towards the top posted and it did seem to fit well in the 9 x 13, though it was still very full (after baked) so it is a big, thick cake. I also used coconut oil and it’s very delicious and moist. Thank you Mel for all your hard work and time on your blog!! We use so many of your recipes regularly
Mine always falls in the middle, too, but I just even it out with extra icing. 😉
Mel – I have made this cake several times, but it never fails to fall in the middle. It doesn’t go all the way down to the bottom, but probably falls half way down in the middle. I use 9 inch pans (Fat Daddio Brand), and have never had a problem with a cake sinking in them before. I have used different types of cocoa and brand spankin’ new baking powder. I’ve tried baking it a bit longer…and also at a little lower temp for longer. Ug. I love it so much. It has such great flavor and texture, but I don’t feel like I can ever make it for a special event, or make it if I really need it to look pretty. Any ideas what I’m doing wrong?
Aubri – that’s frustrating! I’ve never had this cake fall so I’m not sure what would be causing it to happen. Usually when cakes fall, I recommend baking for longer which it sounds like you’ve tried. It really shouldn’t fall if the batter has baked all the way in the middle – is there any way to add a few more minutes to the baking time to see if it helps? Also, while it’s baking, check (without opening the oven door – look through the window) to see when the cake has fallen – during the middle of baking or is it at the end? Or is it after you remove it from the oven? If it is falling during the end of baking or when you remove it from the oven, that’s almost a sure sign it needs to be baked longer.
The cake has a nice texture but against my better judgement i added the amount of baking soda and salt as it was written in the recipe and it was too much. Based on the acidic ingredients (buttermilk) and the amount of flour used, the cake is left with about 1 1/4 tsp of un-neutralized baking soda. I will give it a try again making my own adjustments.
LOVE this chocolate cake! It’s SO moist, especially if you freeze it before decorating & eating it. I used this for a wedding cake and the guests said it was the moistest, most delicious cake. And, it’s 10 times better than any “dressed-up” box mix. Thanks so much for this chocolate cake recipe! I won’t use anything else again!
I made this yesterday for my grandson’s 12th birthday…FABULOUS. I frosted it using the vanilla magical frosting……the perfect combination!
Mel this is a great recipe. I made this yesterday for my husband on fathers day and we all loved
it. It was the right amount of sweet and moist. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks! The cake turned out perfectly with no overflow issues!
This looks like the perfect cake for my son’s birthday this weekend. Reguarding the overflow issue, I have a question, do you use the same measuring cups for the wet & dry ingredients? I assume you use a dry scoop for the flour & a seperate cup measurement for the liquids. Just wanting to be sure before I begin. Thanks 🙂
Army of 7 – no, I definitely use the liquid measuring cups for the wet ingredients and regular ol’ measuring cups for the dry.
Made this cake for my 4 year old’s birthday party. It was super moist and delicious. I really could have eaten it without frosting at all but thought that would be frowned upon by other party attendees. I didn’t have any issue with it spilling in the oven and I used all the batter. Also I made the magical frosting, and while I do love butter cream frosting, it was nice that this wasn’t as sugary. I also put those butterflies from Hello Cupcake on top, it was super cute. Thanks!!
I made the cake and the frosting, and man, I cannot figure out what everyone sees in this? The chocolate cake was okay, but not worth making again. But the frosting! For all the work, and raving, I expected better. Do you use unsalted butter or something? It’s like eating very light, fluffy butter! If I made it again I would for sure cut out some salt!
Definitely sub the coconut oil for the vegetable oil! DELICIOUS chocolate cake!
I made this for my daughter’s birthday cake and it was delicious; thank you! I love using buttermilk for baked goods, too.
By far the best cake I’ve ever made – and maybe even tasted ever. I love it – and so far I have only sampled the slice I cut off the top for layering! Can’t wait to cut into it and serve it at my daughter’s 1st birthday. She’s never had chocolate…and in my eyes, this cake is a perfect first taste! I was nervous the batter seemed really thin (?) – but regardless if that was normal or not, it turned out perfect! Oh …and I had forgotten to get buttermilk, so used the old milk/vinegar substitute…again, seemed to work just fine with excellent results. Thanks!!!
Best cake I’ve ever had and I’ve worked for two different bakeries!! Amazing!
Thank you for this recipe! I’ve never baked a cake from scratch before, but decided to make an attempt. After being informed that they usually turn out really dry, I chose your recipe from a handful I found online that claim to be moist. I had someone with much more experience helping me, and she was really surprised that it expanded so much. In fact, it kind of exploded all over her oven! However, the cake was DELICIOUS! So moist and rich, it was an absolute hit. I didn’t try your frosting, because it was a little above my skill level, but I will have to make it sometime since the cake was so good. I just made an easy chocolate butter cream frosting, which still complemented it well. Honestly, this cake would have still been delicious with no frosting at all. I’ll definitely use larger pans next time I make it though.
I made it again this morning and it came out great! I used 9″ pans and had no issues…so it must have been the springform pan.
I made this tonight. The batter was a little runny, but not really an issue. I decided to bake the cake in a springform pan and it started leaking a bit, so I had to line the pan with foil. I also put some of the batter in a large muffin tin, just to make a mini smash cake. The mini cake came out great. The middle of the other cake sank in the middle, and I baked it much longer than it called for. The flavor is great and the cake is moist, but I think it will fall apart when I try to frost it. I’m not sure if it’s the size cake pan I chose, or what…but I’ve never had this problem before, and I bake a lot! I’m going to give this recipe another go tomorrow and see if I can figure it out.
Shannon – I wouldn’t recommend baking this cake in a springform pan. It really does turn out better if baked in traditional cake pans. Good luck!
Oops, I didn’t realized there were two pages of comments (though I should have! if it’s so tasty!), so I found you already answered the dutch cocoa question. I’m excited to try it!
not sure is anyone mentioned this already but if you are going to use dutch processed cocoa, you need to adjust the amount of baking soda you use.
I have more dutch cocoa than regular cocoa – do you think that would be an okay substitution? Any suggestions for high-altitude baking (about 4800 ft)? I was thinking of copping out and just using my cake mix but this looks so dang tasty.
This is the best cake! And unfortunately I have eaten a lot of chocolate cake to know that! I made this for daughter’s second birthday along with your magical frosting. Everyone loved it! I cannot stop taking little bites of it (which I’m sure adds up to a huge piece). I think I will have to send it to work with my husband just to get it out of the house!
I made this for my son’s birthday and it was so yummy!!! I made it again today in a jelly roll pan (for a science project) and I had about 2 cups of batter left. I’m baking that in the wilton ball shaped pan (also for the science project). Anyways, I just wanted to comment so that people would know how to bake it in a jelly roll pan. Thanks for the fantastic recipe!
Thank you again!
Mel – thank you so much for your response. I live at about 4,500 feet. I found the King Arthur’s Flour high altitude instructions that you linked to somewhere else – would you suggest that I start trying those?
Also, I saw on your list of favorite things that you use a grain mill. Have you tried substituting any of the flour in this recipe? Or do you think that wouldn’t work?
Hi Catherine – yes, I think the King Arthur tips could help a lot. I have never substituted whole wheat flour in this recipe. If you did want to try it, I’d suggest using whole wheat pastry flour (it has a lower protein content and subs better in cakes and lighter baked goods).
Catherine – do you live at a high altitude?
I love this recipe, but I’m having the sinking problem too. The edges are perfect and the center comes out wrinkly and sunken quite a bit (and if I cook it longer, the edges burn). I’m going to keep trying, and maybe leave out some liquid or increase the temperature?
Just made this for my son’s birthday tomorrow- the middle sunk, although it was done in the middle, but it tastes delicious. Hopefully I can mask the dip with lost of frosting:)
I made this cake and frosting for my girlfriend’s birthday this week. It was fantastic. thank you, Mel!
Haley – absolutely! I use canola oil all the time and it works great.
Look fabulous, Mel! Do you think I could substitute canola oil for the vegetable oil or no?
I have made this recipe many times in a Bundt pan.
I make the whole recipe ( have tried cutting a little bit of the water because it is SO soupy ) and prepare the pan diligently . I spray every nook and cranny with with oil , then flour pan with a mixture of white flour and cocoa powder.
Baking time needs to be increased, I check every extra 5 minutes. Make sure you leave cake in pan on z cooling rack for 10 minutes before removing to continue cooling!!
I still have times where some cake will stick.
Let me tell you, the Bingo fans always look forward to this cake( with white frosting)!!
Do you think this would work well in a bundt pan since you can’t line it with parchment paper? Do you have any tips of how to adjust recipes for using bundt pans
Megan – I’ve never made it in a bundt pan. Most cakes (besides the few that have unusually been great) tend to dry out in a bundt pan, in my opinion, especially if the recipe wasn’t written to use one. But you could always try it. Good luck!
This is absolutely the best chocolate cake recipe! Thank you many times over for the chocolatey goodness, the tender crumb, the ease of making it. It’s the best and you did not exaggerate. The frosting is just as wonderful! I, the veteran of many a dense and disappointing scratch cake, salute you with my floury hand and doff my baker’s cap to you!
Oh and I also dyed the frosting pink for my daughters cake this year and it looked great!
This is the 3rd year I have used this recipe for my daughters birthday and my mom’s birthday! I make the Magical frosting to go with it to, and make the chocolate version of the magical frosting to go with my moms. It is so worth the little extra work!!
Made for daughter’s 9th birthday dinner and this- is-the-best-chocolate-cake-in-the-world. Paired with the mint icing from the your Andes mint cupcakes- and it was FABULOUS. Also made the chocolate mint filling from the Andes cupcakes and chilled a bit and it worked so well as a filling between the layers. Really want to try your magical frosting- but am afraid with the ‘cooking’ part . . but this was so heroic – am going to give it a go in Jan for my son’s birthday. THANK YOU!
Alisa – I’ve never used it with fondant (I’m definitely not a fondant expert) so I honestly don’t know. Sorry!
This looks so delicious! Do you know if it’s dense enough to work with fondant?
The cake is surprisingly dense enough to work with fondant. I love the moist texture of the recipe and I decided to try it in a three layer cake with raspberry filling, buttercream, and homemade fondant. Usually I go with a denser cake, but it always seems too heavy when eating it. This recipe held up well to the buttercream, layers, and fondant with decorating on top of it. I did freeze it after dirty icing it and I put an additional layer of buttercream and then fondant a few days later.
I made the chocolate frosting with your ultimate chocolate cake. I sunstituted white vinegar plus milk for the buttermilk and used half a cup of bittersweet chocolate chips and half a cup of semi sweet chocolate chips for the chocolate flavor that was called for at the end of the recipe. It was perfect! My kids were licking the frosting right from the bowl. It turned out like the color of the wendys frosty ice cream and taste almost like it only in frosting form. My daughter even commented that its like a frosty. Thats how fluffy it is. This was so good and its now our family’s favorite cake and frosting. Thank you Mel! 🙂
Happy Thanksgiving Mel! Hope you had a good one. 🙂 I was looking for a cake recipe to bake for thanksgiving dessert and as always I went
to your website for recipes that never fail me. I baked this in a 9 x 13 pan. At first it looked like it was going to overflow but it never spilled. It just puffed up but stayed in the pan. I just had to increase the baking time to 50 mins. I am not sure wether the high altitude affected the baking time or maybe because I used a glass bakeware like pyrex. Still it turned out really moist and yummy. I made it with your frosting. My kids said its the best cake ever. My husband even had two big slices! Definitely going to make this over and over again
. Thanks Mel! 🙂
I am not a cake decorator, but I have tried the icing. It is a totally different kind of icing than I was used to. The batch that I made did not work for piping even after being chilled. It was just too thick. I would not bother trying that icing again.
I just noticed you note on the frosting recipe that if it’s chilled for an hour or so you think it would pipe well. If anyone has tried please let me know! I am doing a train theme and am new to cake baking. I should have done more research and tried some recipes in advance.
This cake looks so good! I know you posted this recipe awhile, but hope you can answer a question for me.
I am planning to make a chocolate cake for my son’s 2nd birthday party which is this weekend. Would this magic frosting work for decorating with Wilton tips? I am not an experienced baker so don’t really have a go to frosting recipe and this one sounds like it might be perfect as it does not sound overly sweet. I imagine if it would not be the greatest for decorating, I could always frost the cake with it and make a buttercream for the rest. Your thoughts are appreciated! So glad I found your blog. I will be checking it out on a regular basis for sure!!
Have you ever used the dutch cocoa powder for this? I was just curious because that is all I have, and didn’t know if I would be ok to use that or if I would need to go buy the regular. Thank you!!
Casey – the Dutch-process will work here; it will make the cake even darker and more rich.
Hi there ,
Ive just made this cake, and it does indeed taste amazing, the texture is great, too, however just one little problem, it crumbled and broke as I was trying to take it out of the cake pans, should I have let it cool in the pan for a bit first? : ( Any tips for next time?? The recipe is amazing!
Tina – do you think you could have overbaked it by a bit? I think your idea of cooling in the pan for 5-10 minutes could definitely help, too.
I do not normally leave comments, however I just finished making this recipe into cupcakes with the “magic” frosting and they really are the BEST I have ever had! The frosting is absolutely worth the extra time! Baked them at 350 for 18-20min
I have made this cake and it is so moist and soooooooo good. It tastes better than the box mixes and is just as easy to make. Thanks for the recipe.
Casey – I haven’t covered this with fondant but I think it would be plenty sturdy for fondant. That’s a great tip about the cake release! Good luck with your cake business!
Ooh I have been looking for a perfect homemade chocolate cake recipe!! I have recently started making cakes as a little side business and I’m wondering if this would be dense enough to be stacked and covered with fondant? A lot of recipes I’ve tried are way too soft and sink when I do this. Also I discovered a homemade ‘cake release’- equal parts of flour, shortening, and vegetable oil, brush it in your cake pans and your cake will fall out every time!! And it stores nicely in a Tupperware. 🙂 thank you for all of your fabulous recipes!! We live in a tiny town and a bunch of us young moms get together once a week for lunch and a playgroup and we are always talking about what Mel posted!!! We love you! 🙂